Christian Cawley's Blog, page 133

Order “Lethbridge-Stewart: The Forgotten Son” Today On Amazon

Andrew Reynolds is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.

The eagerly awaited first novel in the Lethbridge-Stewart series, The Forbidden Son, is available to pre-order now from Amazon!

Follow the Brigadier as he awakes to a whole new world after the events of 1968 serial The Web of Fear in this, the first in a series of Lethbridge-Stewart novels planned for release every quarter during 2015 – all of which are fully licensed by the Executor of the Haisman Literary Estate, Mervyn Haisman’s granddaughter Hannah Haisman, and endorsed by Henry Lincoln.

The first series consists of The Forgotten Son by Andy Frankham-Allen, Horror of Det-Sen by Lance Parkin, The Schizoid Earth by David A McIntee and Mutually Assured Domination by Nick Walters.

Speaking at the announcement of the series Frankham-Allen said: “It’s an insane privilege and responsibility to put this series together, to reveal the real story behind such a legend of Doctor Who.”

The Paperback edition pf Lethbridge-Stewart: The Forgotten Son is currently unavailable to pre-order and looks as though it may have already sold out. The Lethbridge-Stewart: The Forgotten Son (Kindle edition) can be pre-ordered now for download on 26th February for £4.99.

If you are based in the UK, you can still pre-order all four novels plus Frankham-Allen’s Companions: Fifty Years of Doctor Who Assistants – an in depth look each assistant’s significance in the TV series as well as other Doctor Who media – from publisher Candy Jar Books for £38.

For those based outside the UK, the full price of the bundle (minus Companions) is £58.

The post Order “Lethbridge-Stewart: The Forgotten Son” Today On Amazon appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Long Lost Synths, Too Much Wine, Portmeirion & Broadchurch Pastiche

Jonathan Appleton is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.

It’s time to ramp it up to eleven as we bring you another ear-shattering News Blast! You’ll be screaming for mercy as we present news of a classic synthesiser brought back to life! Howl as you learn of a Torchwood star’s sozzled demise! Snort with laughter at a Doctor’s self-mockery! Go ‘oooh!” as you learn about a great Welsh screening event! And finally, get that nice warm glow feeling at a father’s pride – all in the Kasterborous News Blast!

The Sea Devils‘ Synth Restored

A classic bit of electronic kit of a type used to create the score for The Sea Devils has been brought back to life in Australia. Just 30 Synthi 100 modular synthesizers were made by Electronic Music Studio so it’s an incredibly rare machine, but one has been restored by Leslie Craythorn at the Melbourne Conservatorium. Leslie worked painstakingly to dismantle and clean all the delicate workings “using specialty lubricants” (stop sniggering at the back) and an “ultrasonic bath” and it’s now in good enough shape to feature in a concert next month. Rather like the Sea Devils, the machine had lain dormant for many years before being revived to reclaim its rightful place on Earth. The Sea Devils score, created by those technical wizards at the Radiophonic Workshop, is one of those of-its-time, wince-inducing classics that is not easily forgotten and doesn’t exactly make for easy listening, but it’s still great to have one of these machines back in operation.

Let’s Drink To Tosh

Midsomer Murders, that old stalwart of the ITV schedules which still performs bafflingly well in the viewing figures, featured some notable Doctor Who alumni in its guest cast this week. Naoko Mori, the much missed Toshiko Sato or Torchwood’s resident boffin, played wine expert Nadia Simons who met an untimely end, yet another victim of that part of England’s devastatingly high crime rate. The episode, titled “A Vintage Murder” (cos it was all about wine, see) also featured Tenth Doctor’s Mum (or the woman in white if you prefer) Claire Bloom as Matilda Stowe.

You can catch the episode on ITV Player for a further 28 days.

Broadchurch Nothing To Do With Doctor Who, Honest

If you only watch one Youtube clip today make it this one, a hilarious piece of audio recorded by David Tennant for Absolute Radio which has now been set to a perfectly compiled clips compilation. Tennant, Alec Hardy in the hit ITV drama Broadchurch, sends up his character’s habits of shouting, popping pills all the time and walking on the beach a lot. We’ve already commented on the links Broadchurch has with Doctor Who in our look at the crime drama’s second series but the Tenth Doctor is having none of it, despite all evidence to the contrary. Great stuff.

Wales Screening Event Unites Doctor Who and The Prisoner

This news may well reach you too late to make it along to the event (unless you have a, well, time machine…) but the evening of Friday 20th February saw a great-looking double header at Theatr Harlech in Wales with screenings of both The Masque of Mandragora and The Prisoner episode Checkmate. The event, part of BFI’s Sci Fi season, marks the important role Portmeirion played in both shows as a unique location, doubling as it did for renaissance-era Italy in Doctor Who and the mysterious village in the classic Patrick McGoohan drama. Fourth Doctor-era producer Philip Hinchcliffe, always worth listening to at this kind of thing, was to appear in a Q&A session, as well as guests with Prisoner links.

The Doctor’s Father Thinks He’s Done Well

Proudest dad of the moment has to be Sandy McDonald who has spoken of his joy at his boy David Tennant’s Special Achievement Award at this year’s National Television Awards. Retired Church of Scotland Moderator Sandy, who made a moving appearance in the montage screened before a stunned Tennant at the ceremony, is clearly bursting with pride at his son’s achievements, even though he tried to talk his son out of acting: “David’s mum and I tried to persuade him to do something in life that would be more permanent than acting, that would give him a longer career.” All we can say, sir, is we’re pleased that didn’t work…

Join us next time for another News Blast! Be seeing you!

The post Long Lost Synths, Too Much Wine, Portmeirion & Broadchurch Pastiche appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Samuel Anderson Wins Best Male Performance in TV at Screen Nation Awards

Rebecca Crockett is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.

It’s always nice to see our favorite show and it’s cast get recognized for the great work they do on the show. With all the extras involved like stunts and green screens, these aren’t just episodes of a sitcom or soapy drama they create, but complex mini-movies.

While we aren’t certain we’ve seen the last of Mr. Danny Pink, his story line does seem to have come to a bit of the end, with his sacrifice to save humanity. For the work Samuel Anderson did as Mr. Pink in series 8, he’s won the Best Male Performance on TV at the 10th annual Screen Nation Awards.

The Screen Nation Awards, sometimes referred to as the “black BAFTAs”, seek to honor the contributions to film television last year by persons of African heritage in the UK and across the globe.

Other notable winners this year were David Oyelowo and Gugu Mbatha-Raw for their performances in the movie Selma. The film also won an award for Favourite International Movie in the publicly voted on awards.

Samuel Anderson’s win was even tweeted out by the official Doctor Who Twitter account.

Samuel Anderson wins Best Male Performance in TV at last night’s Screen Nation Awards! Congrats! We’re tinkled Pink! pic.twitter.com/tZXvL0y9xE

— Doctor Who Official (@bbcdoctorwho) February 16, 2015

“Tinkled”?!

The show will be broadcast at 11pm on 28 February on ABN TV (Sky 235), but if you can’t wait you can check the other winners online.

The post Samuel Anderson Wins Best Male Performance in TV at Screen Nation Awards appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Two Stunning Doctor Who Tees Available Only For Today!

Christian Cawley is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.

We love a good t-shirt here at Kasterborous, so when we heard about this excellent Doctor Who-themed TwoFury pair battling for honours at TeeFury today, we decided we just had to tell you.

On the left, we have the scarfey-TARDIS space wonder of Licunatt’s “Time Loops”, while on the right it is the evocative “I Am Not Your Mummy” by Saqman. Both are available for $11 plus shipping until midnight PST today, and ship in a collection of sizes and colours for men, women and children.

While we’re not entirely sure which of the two tees we prefer, one thing is for sure: at the time of writing, “I Am Not Your Mummy” was outselling “Time Loops” by a factor of three-to-one.

Don’t miss your chance – get your order in now!

Remember: this offer closes at midnight PST on Friday, 20th February 2015.

The post Two Stunning Doctor Who Tees Available Only For Today! appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Don’t Miss: Katy Manning in Casualty, this Saturday Night!

Andrew Reynolds is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.

They’ve been crushed, blown up, drowned, plunged to the bottom of fiery warehouses, fallen from rooftops, collapsed in restaurants, fallen downstairs, and generally been the victims of an uncaring deity determined to wring every ounce of tension and drama from their demise; yes, it’s a hard, albeit short lived life being a guest star on long-running medical drama Casualty.

When not being the centrepiece of a Rube Goldberg machine operated by the cruel hand of fate, there’s also the more comfy, less deathy secondary role of ‘pleasant patient with baffling mysterious condition’ where our plucky staff, through cunning, gentle persuasion, and inter-department flirtation manage to root out the cause of what brought the be-gowned one to their ward.

It’s basically House only with more convincing accents and Kit-Kats in the vending machines.

So, it begs the question, which one of these fates shall befall Katy Manning this weekend when she swaps time causality for Casualty and guest stars in Sweet Little Lies, the 21st episode of this, the 29th series.

The only clues so far are that Manning, who played Jo Grant alongside the Third Doctor before returning to the world of Doctor Who in The Sarah Jane Adventures story, Death of the Doctor, will be playing Marjorie Miller which is so far, so blah but, and this is the kicker of all kickers… She has a psychic dog.

Whether or not the dog will join the staff full time and become the slightly more useful Deanna Troi of the team remains to be seen.

Unfortunately the dog will not be voiced by John Leeson.

Other Doctor Who alumni who have also appeared in Casualty include the Ninth Doctor himself Christopher Eccleston, David Walliams from The God Complex, Rula Lenska from Resurrection of the Daleks and Celia Imrie from The Bells of Saint John.

While in the opposite direction, Jaye Griffiths – a familiar face from shows like Sherlock, Coronation Street and, more importantly, Bugs – will follow in the footsteps of  Freema Agyeman and appear in an episode of Doctor Who after a guest spot on Casualty. Griffiths has been confirmed as a Series 9 guest star alongside Clare Higgins who, guess what, also appeared in Casualty.

I guess Kate Winslet was right; Casualty really is an occasionally explody rite of passage for most British actors.

Sweet Little Lies airs Saturday, Feb 21 at 9:15 pm on BBC One.

The post Don’t Miss: Katy Manning in Casualty, this Saturday Night! appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Reeltime Pictures Rises Again

Barry Rice is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.

The creators of the popular Myth Makers documentary series and numerous other Doctor Who spin-offs are back – with a brand-new website and new productions in the works.

Time Travel TV is the new online home of Reeltime Pictures, featuring old and new productions on DVD, download, or stream. There are 50 titles available now, and 11 more will be added each month until the catalogue is complete. Reeltime founder Keith Barnfather says, “It would be an impossible undertaking to try and get them all online at the same moment. So what we wanted to do was give a nice big cross section available to start and then slowly release the rest. So people can dip in every month.”

In addition to numerous classic Myth Makers episodes, the spin-off dramas Dæmos Rising (featuring UNIT’s future Head of Scientific Research, Kate Stewart) and Mindgame (from acclaimed Doctor Who writer Terrance Dicks) are also launch titles available on TTtv.

Among the new productions, a new Myth Makers tribute to former Master Anthony Ainley is available now. A new six-episode drama titled White Witch of Devils End will launch later this year, featuring actress Damaris Hayman reprising her role as Miss Hawthorne from The Dæmons. Additional Myth Makers episodes have already been recorded and will premiere this year, as well. Slated to appear are special effects artist/author Mike Tucker, composer Dominic Glynn, classic producer Graham Williams, writer David Fisher, and more.

The team is also hoping to produce several more Myth Makers episodes in the coming months with actors from the revived Doctor Who, with live interviews recorded at convention appearances. Says Barnfather:

What we’d like to do one day is offer live streaming. So if we were doing an event and interviewing people, you could subscribe for the day to actually watch all the programming live streamed. I’d love to put my feet up and watch something like that!

All said, this is a very slick new website, and makes enjoying Reeltime’s hard work that much easier. Well done – we’re looking forward to more!

Are you excited for the return of Reeltime Pictures?

(Via Doctor Who News)

The post Reeltime Pictures Rises Again appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Titan Comics’ Twelfth Doctor #5 Preview

Philip Bates is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.

Next Wednesday is the release of The Twelfth Doctor #5 – and we’ve got an exciting preview for you!

Written by Robbie Morrison (Spider-Man), with art by Dave Taylor (Judge Dredd), the issue is the finale of a three-part storyline:

The Doctor and Clara and their allies are split between two time zones, as the clock counts down to the resurrection of the vengeful Kali! Will an ageless cult succeed where so many villains have failed? What chance does the Doctor have against a plan that has been in motion for thousands of years? Find out in the pulse-pounding finale of The Swords of Kali!

It’s also got a gorgeous cover by Alice X. Zhang, the original painting having been presented to the astonished Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman at last year’s World Tour.

The Twelfth Doctor #05 is released on 25th February 2015.

The post Titan Comics’ Twelfth Doctor #5 Preview appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Guest Cast Confirmed for The Magician’s Apprentice/ The Witch’s Familiar

Philip Bates is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.

Earlier on, it was announced that Michelle Gomez will be back as Missy. But she’s not the only person returning to the Doctor Who universe in Series 9.

Jemma Redgrave will be back in the first two-parter as Kate Lethbridge-Stewart, bringing UNIT with her! It’s also recently been announced that Jemma’s Kate will have life beyond the TV screen, as the lead in the upcoming UNIT: Extinction by Big Finish.

And the second episode title for Series 9 has also been revealed. While the season will open with The Magician’s Apprentice, that first storyline will conclude in The Witch’s Familiar, both written by showrunner, Steven Moffat.

Further guest stars have also been in the show before: Kelly Hunter previously played the Shadow Architect in 2008’s The Stolen Earth; and you may recognise Clare Higgins from her role as Ohila in 2013’s Night of the Doctor. Hmm… Could a return to Karn be in order?

More guests confirmed for this upcoming tale include: Jaye Griffiths (Sherlock; Bugs); Daniel Hoffmann-Gill; Aaron Neil (Five Days); Jami Reid-Quarrell; India Ria Amarteifio (Gangsta Granny); Joey Price (The Great Fire); Dasharn Anderson; Demi Papaminas; and Harki Bhambra.

The Magician’s Apprentice/ The Witch’s Familiar are directed by Blink‘s Hettie MacDonald, block two having begun filming last week.

Moffat’s opening serial is followed by another two-parter by Toby Whithouse (School Reunion; A Town Called Mercy). This begs the question, will Series 9 consist solely of two-part stories? The Scottish showrunner does seem to like mixing up the show’s format each year, so this would be an interesting new direction for NuWho.

Excited yet?

The post Guest Cast Confirmed for The Magician’s Apprentice/ The Witch’s Familiar appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

New Trailer for Big Finish’s Entropy Plague!

Nick Kitchen is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.

It’s a great time to be a fan of the Fifth Doctor, especially with the Big Finish main line love he’s received over the last couple of months. And what’s next for Peter Davison and crew? Big Finish’s March Doctor Who main line release will bring the conclusion to the Fifth Doctor’s highly anticipated E-Space Trilogy and they have graciously released a trailer to whet our appetites!

The Entropy Plague has promised us death and sacrifice:

“A Great Darkness is spreading over E-Space. Entropy increases. In search of a last exit to anywhere, the TARDIS arrives on the power-less planet of Apollyon, where the scientist Pallister guards the only way out – a mysterious portal. But the portal needs power to open, and the only power Pallister can draw on is the energy contained within the molecular bonds of all living tissue…

The Doctor, Nyssa, Tegan and Turlough soon learn that neither Pallister nor his ally, the space pirate Captain Branarack, will stop at murder to ensure their escape. But they’re not the only menace on Apollyon. The Sandmen are coming – creatures that live on the life force; that live on death.

Death is the only way out into N-Space. Death, or sacrifice. But whose death? Whose sacrifice?”

With a setup like that, it makes the upcoming release a must listen for Big Finish fans! The Entropy Plague is set to drop in March, but is available for pre-order now.

And now, a small tip for those looking to get into Big Finish’s audio releases. You may be aware, as we occasionally mention it when we do the release write ups, but typically speaking, pre-ordering a release from Big Finish will net you the best deal on the audio adventure. Of course, that’s discounting Christmas and other specials throughout the year, but a good rule of thumb is, get in early for the best deal. For the record, this new E-Space Trilogy is a fantastic place to start if you’re looking to get your feet wet.

What do you think, dear readers? Has the trailer increased your excitement for the release? Will you be picking this one up? Let us know in the comments section!

The post New Trailer for Big Finish’s Entropy Plague! appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

This Summer: The Twelfth, Eleventh, and Tenth Doctors Team Up!

Philip Bates is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.

Titan Comics has revealed that their Summer crossover event will star three Doctors: Peter Capaldi’s Twelfth; Matt Smith’s Eleventh; and David Tennant’s Tenth!

The five-part story will temporarily replace their main series titles from mid-August to late-September, running weekly. Though the artist is yet to be announced, Paul Cornell has been confirmed as its writer. This will definitely please fans of the ever-popular serials, Father’s Day and Human Nature/ The Family of Blood, and will be the first time Cornell has written for the Twelfth Doctor (he previously wrote for the Eleventh Doctor in the IDW comic series).

@Paul_Cornell @ComicsTitan Fantastic. Great news, Lovely way to mark the 25th anniversary of your first Doctor Who comic strip!

— Paul Scoones (@paul_scoones) February 18, 2015

Titan has also stated that the companions involved will be those currently in their titles, ie. Gabriella ‘Gabby’ Gonzales, Alice Obiefune, and Clara Oswald.

And we don’t know anything beyond that right now. We don’t know what circumstances will see them teaming up; we don’t know the title; we don’t know the enemy. But what we do know is: the crossover launches on 12th August, just in time for Titan’s Doctor Who Comics Day on 15th!

Naturally, we’re all excited about this at K Towers (especially at the prospect of seeing the Eleventh Doctor meeting his grumpy Twelfth incarnation), but it is, perhaps, a bit odd that the Ninth Doctor isn’t involved, seen as his five-issue miniseries begins next month. Well, at least he’s not announced to be involved…

What do you think, dear readers? Are you as excited as us? Who would you like to see on artistic duties…?

The post This Summer: The Twelfth, Eleventh, and Tenth Doctors Team Up! appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.